In order to be eligible for extended short-term disability or long-term disability benefits, you must first complete the 365 short-term disability period.

The exhaustion of leave does not change your date of disability or the beginning date of the waiting period. The first day of the 60-day waiting period will be the later of the following:

• The day after your last day of actual service, provided your physician certifies you to be disabled as of your last day of actual service.
   
• The day the disabling event occurred, as certified by your physician, if your disabling event occurred on a day later than your last day of actual service, provided you were in a pay status as of the last day you exhausted leave.
   
• The day the disabling event occurred, as certified by your physician, if your disabling event occurred on a day other than a normal workday (e.g., a Saturday or Sunday, or for public school teachers, a day during the summer months).
   
• The day following at least 365 calendar days of employment as a state teacher or state employee (for example, if you are first employed on January 1, 2017, and are certified as disabled on December 20, 2017, the waiting period would begin on January 1, 2018).

During the waiting period, you may return to work in any capacity for any part of a given day for trial rehabilitation. These trial periods may not be more than five continuous days of service. If you return to work for less than five continuous days, it will not cause a new waiting period to begin but will extend the waiting period by the number of days you returned to work. A return to work for more than five continuous workdays will cause a new waiting period to begin.